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Reviews tagging 'Stalking'
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
81 reviews
debussy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Patricia is a bored housewife, but at her book club she reads true crime and gets that taste of excitement, even though that isn't really enough for her. When a stranger, James Harris, arrives in a white van to take care of his sick great-aunt--who is found gnawing on a raccoon some time later--Patricia's interest is piqued. At first she's all Southern lady hospitality, but then it starts taking a turn. James Harris's white van has been places it shouldn't be. The nearby Black (poor, inland, "scary at night") community has missing children. Patricia is concerned. Shouldn't she be concerned? They're children, after all, and it could be her children next.
So much of the book involves convincing other people to believe Patricia, which became frustrating. I had thought I was in this to see Southern women bound by friendship ridding their town of a vampire, but really the book falls into all sorts of mess about what Patricia believes and who is going to step up to believe her.
The Southern book club is not as tightly knit as I wanted it to be if we had to suffer through two major attempts to convince them to act. A ton of time passes with Patricia in a patriarchy-induced haze, and the book does little to explain how she can justify that. Probably there's a parallel to Ann Rule in there somewhere, but it's still surprising. I understand that shrugging off all the societal expectations is hard, and the book somewhat touches on that, but it never really goes all in because there is cleaning to be done.
The book drops plotlines when the plots are no longer convenient. Child/parent strife? Gone. It touches on huge issues like racial inequality and segregation and gentrification, but doesn't fully explore them or allow the white, rich, Southern ladies to have a full reckoning about being seemingly resigned to a growing pile of Black bodies. I do feel like if that's a major thread of the book, they could have had a serious conversation about why they preferred ignorance. For a book about a group of women acting, they really didn't seem to want to at all.
The horror is well done. The men are, without question, completely horrific. The author is gifted at writing gore and animal attacks, but the part that made me truly upset was the men. The gaslighting, the forced institutionalization, the betrayal, the abuse. Patriarchy at its finest, right there. But even in the horror there are plot questions with resolutions I didn't really find plausible or satisfying.
So I really did like this, but also felt that it was introducing big concepts in the surface level horror that it didn't or wouldn't drill into, which left me feeling a little empty. The book sets up for a potential sequel, but works just fine on its own.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexism, and Murder
Moderate: Racism, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape
annir's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Self harm, and Sexism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Cannibalism, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Vomit
gnomepartay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
laurena's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Violence
riella_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit
syfylauren's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Dementia, Gaslighting, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Murder, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Pedophilia
reubend1ca9's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Gore, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Violence
laneport's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Death, Child abuse, Body horror, and Blood
Moderate: Stalking, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Drug use
grifgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Cannibalism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
lilasky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm and Torture
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit